Rear admiral Jackson T. Stevens
"Starboard side! Light 'em up Kelly!" The gunnery sergeant yelled as we steamed quickly could towards base.
Once again those albino tentacle fairies caught us while we were sitting on the dunny or so we thought, but it seemed that it I was the only one out of the loop as many of my peers saw me as as a bloody muppet that harassed the shipgirls through the day.
The sky was full of black puffs as well as those pesky little drones and while our defenses were holding them at bay, it was clear we were about to have a mare with them if we did not do something about it on time.
"Ensign, how much longer until we get to the base?!" I asked as the the dual fifty caliber anti air screamed to life once again.
"I'm going as fast as we can sir! This thing isn't meant for speed!" the ensign said as the marine was able to land accurate shots at the incoming enemy, yet it seemed like nothing could stop it.
"TAKAHASHI TURN STARBOARD!" the gunner scream in terror, yet ensign did not think twice. It was only then that we could see a small object detach from the bomber.
I could only watch as once again that view of the object grew ever so bigger, it was always a sight that haunted me. It would always make me believe that this would be my ever last cuck up and it even made me at times question if this was a profession I was truly born to do. The bomb yet once again; let it be by the skill of the young lads of the patrol boat or by the luck of some Irish plonker. Slammed on to the atoll drenching us in that all too familiar salt water.
"That was close." The ensign said shaken from the experience.
"We're taking on water sir! We need to run the boat aground!" the machinist mate yelled over the intercom.
"Takahashi, run the ship aground now! We aren't that far!" i commanded while another aircraft began to dive on us.
"Yes sir!"
"Gunners, Port bow!" i commanded once again. The deadly barrage of twin fifty caliber machineguns and twenty millimeter cannon would have been deadly to any aircraft of the time. But unfortunately for us, we were on a base where every equipment was woefully obsolete to say the least.
The brave marines fired away with amazing accuracy, but the little bugger continued its final voyage. We were quick to realize that the drone had no intention in pulling away, it was determined to see that this was going to be our final moment in this god forsaken planet.
For once in a long time, I saw my entire life flash before me. All the things I could have done, all the people I have wronged. Everything I did at that point, was about to become nothing more than a footnote into history. I would have gone down into the book as a lecherous and perverted commander if it were not for the quick thinking of my favorite wife.
"You look bummed out Commander. How about we turn that frown right upside down?" San Diego asked with her usual blissful ignorance.
"I never thought I'd be thanking San Diego day." Takahashi said after a sigh or relief.
"Sandy my love, can you keep the enemy bombers away from us?" I asked to her confusion.
"You'll be fine, Friedrich said those are practice drones!" She said unsurprisingly oblivious to our plight.
"I wish grandmother were here, she would know what to do." the ensign said out of frustration.
"Well, keep those practice drones away from us. She told me that if you did, she would give you a week off from patrol duty." I said making the overly energetic kansen leap out of the water and into our boat almost capsizing it with the weight of her rigging. It was needless to say that the crew was not happy with her and yelled expletives towards her before she returned to the water.
"Really?! Then I will prove them all that I am number one!" she said before a flurry of comically large stars shot out towards the sky taking out around a dozen of those dingofuckers.
Unfortunately for us, the roughly two hundred meters to make it towards the sand felt like walking into a bloody minefield. San Diego was so eager to take them out of the sky, that what remained of the fragments fell down like meteors.
"Goddammit! We're going to die before we make it to shore at this rate!"
"Any ideas sir?" one of the crew asked over the intercom.
"Allow us to make things easier for you gentlemen." a gentle voice said over the radio, almost everything around us seemed to have either slow down or frozen. It was a surreal sight to behold for the common person, but I have seen my fair said of illogical situations.
"Strasser? Is that you?" I asked in surprise.
"Of course officer, it seems that we arrived just in time." she said between static as formations of Messerschmitt one o' nines and hawker sea furies entered the aerial melee.
"Do you have any information concerning any other units?"
"The... orders... you to re... to... Fri... she... explain... ything."
"Strasser? You're breaking up."
"Everyone, BRACE!!" Takahashi commanded before we were all shoved forwards. Fortunately we were able to make it close enough to make almost to shore. Unfortunately the radio was beyond repair and to make matters worse we all had to ruin our uniforms from the waist down.
The battle raged on with kansens and humans alike, everywhere you saw there were all working together like a well oiled war machine. I was full of pride that everyone knew their place after the amount of training I subjected them too, yet there was a part of me that felt envious. They really did not need a commander like me or Matthew, as he puts it at times, we could see 'the writing on the wall.'
"Admiral sir, we're ready to move out." the ensign said with rifle in hand.
"Alright gentlemen, follow me. Once we arrive report to Shigure, she will delegate you task."
"Yes sir!" they said in unison as we briskly made our way towards the base.
Many of our defenses were fortunately automated, yet some required some... human tact like the boats and some heavier gun emplacements like the village's coastal artillery. For some the thunderous blast of anti aerial artillery might have been concerning, yet we have all grown used to the sound of a single shell being fired every four seconds and the roar of artillery, it was as such that the noise of it, was nothing more than some additional background noise.
"Stop..." Takahashi commanded to my surprise.
"Why?" I asked as he pointed to his ears. It took me a moment to realize that the near by artillery had stopped firing. It was only then that I had begun to hear the faint laughter of one of those... things.
"A siren here out of all places? How is this possible?" I asked to myself out loud.
"They must have disguised themselves as a civilian." Takahashi said with valid concern.
"No, we would've noticed. They probably used the secret dockyard." I said the the crew's confusion.
"Secret dockyard? We have one of those." Takahashi asked puzzled.
"A-ah, forget I said anything!" I said with a nervous chuckle.
Knowing the ensign, he would have continued to probe my little secret but the sudden snapping of bamboo just above us broke our concentration. The marines by muscle memory got into a firing position with their rifles towards the object that came hurling through it.
"I won't, let you through me." the object said as it stood once again.
"Obaasan!" the ensign cried out in a panic. It was none other than the glorified hulk of a ship ship, Mikasa of the Sakura empire.
"Wow, you're still talking like you were some bigshot? Just give it up old hag!" a voice said sending chills down our spine, it would have appeared that the old lady still had some fight in her though it looked more like a munted chook trying to fight a famished dingo.
"Oh well what do ya' know! We got some little rats hiding in a ditch! You want to play too?" The siren asked with an unsettling smile.
"Up yours bitch!" Kelly yelled opening fire at the siren. It was a clean shot for him, but that muppet forgot to take his rifle off safety giving the siren time to clear some distance whole the others looked on dumbfounded.
"Well? What are you waiting for? Shoot that wanker!" I commanded before the cacophony of rifle fire deafen us.
The siren was quick on its feet, it almost looked like the cunt was ball of lighting in many of the cases and it did not take a scientist to realize that it was playing with her food out of pure boredom and I was not the only one who thought the same as the ensign quickly rushed towards his grandmother whos weapons appeared to be little more than a mangled mess.
They both spoke their native language and no matter for how long I have been around their people, I am still yet to grasp their dialect. However, paying attention to what they said was the least of my concern, that siren hurled childish insults as we tried to get a clear shot at it
"Wow, is this the best you can do? How is it that you people could actually beat those useful idiots in the cult?" it asked with a laugh.
"Fuck it." Kelly said before charging in with a bayonet plugged in at the end of his garand and it would've been a short lived career for the apparent temperamental marine if it were not for a the old lady's fighting spirit.
"Your fight, is with me you showa brat." Mikasa said with a glare after landing a hit on that cunt.
"Did you really think that was going to work? Now that's embarrassing!" the siren said with as if nothing had happened to it. Kelly being the careless teen that he was did not take kindly to the siren's insults, the muppet rather than falling back decided to once again charged towards it.
"You're not worth the time!" it said firing a beam that otherwise would have vaporized him if it weren't for a shield that appeared in front of him.
"Then perhaps you wish to have a bit more of a challenge." the delicate voice of a woman said before a maniacal laugh followed it imidiately.
Her words sent shivers down the spine of every single one present, for the men it was a relief that that old miss Mikasa was going to see the light of the next dawn. But to that siren, even though its composure displayed confidence, those who were observant could tell that it was hardly able to contain its anxiety.
"Armaments activated. Engaging at maximum output." Another voice said as the roar of eight three hundred and eighty millimeter cannons slammed on to the her hastily deployed shields.
"Oh you don' fucked up now bitch! You gotta' deal with dem' siren killers now!" Kelly said with the confidence of a terrified chihuahua as he ran towards the ditch.
"Ladies, you know what to do." I said before the venerable predecessor of the mighty Yamato drew her sword.
"It will be our pleasure." Izumo said before her as well as Roon charged at it.
The pair were quick and the crew of the boat decided to lend a helping hand by shooting their rifles and handguns at the bloodthirsty bitch. Yet even that thing knew that it was at a serious disadvantage, Matthew may be an unorthodox officer that is hated by the admiralty, but even they admit that if it weren't that he spent all these years creating these girls, many of our well deserved victories would have ended in a disasterous defeat.
"Time to get out of here!" The siren said as it began to flee towards the direction of Mikasa and the Ensign.
Now I want you to picture this, you're a bloke who has lost almost everything thanks to those salty wet cunts and one of your surrogate family members is a mangled mess in front of you. Wouldn't you as well taken the opportunity to take out you anger against it? Well what ever the answer you may have given, it was obvious what he did. The ensign's rifle appeared to have been somehow jammed and rather than clearing it, the young officer drew his blade and charged the siren.
With sword drawn and a blood boiled warcry, the officer charged in to everyone's surprise. Yet everyone pressed on their attack, we were all poised in taking it down even if that particular one even if it is mere grain of sand in the dune.
"I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY!" the young officer screamed as he swung his sword.
"You really think you c-" The siren said as it dodged the attack only to be surprised by a sudden kick into the stomach by the officer who used the momentum of his swing to land his strike. This sudden attack gave Roon's scorpion like rigging enough time to maul what was left of that that hammer head shark like design before the creature was restrained.
"You really think I will let you get away so easily after you hurt the commander? YOU WILL PAY!" Roon said with an unsettling gaze gabbing a hold of it the creature by the neck.
"Roon, that is enough. Friedrich wants her alive." Izumo said before Roon decided to knock the lights out of the cunt.
"Gascogne incapable of processing the strategic assessment of master: clear orders are advised." Gascogne said in her android like demeanor.
"What does good old Matthew want to do with this one? Is shagging Eugen not enough?" I asked half jokingly as the girls looked on with caution.
"I am not quite sure, but if you wish to know, it is best that you speak to him." Izumo said sternly as the gunnery sergeant berated Kelly for his near brush with lady death herself.
"Thank you so much for helping us. I am in your debt!" the ensign said bowing respectfully.
"Always glad to help, I'm glad you are all okay~" Roon said with a sweet smile as she still held the siren like some dead animal that she had hunted.
"Izumo, where is the young one?" Mikasa asked before being helped by a pair of the marines to her feet.
"Lady Mikasa, I am sorry that we did not arrive sooner." Izumo said with a clear tone of guilt.
"It's fine, I've had worse. I'm more worried with that brat that darted off with some of the girls to reinforce the carrier group."
"Who is this brat?" I asked puzzled.
"Oh that's that new girl that's been taggin' along with the V.A right? Kinda cute if ya' askin' me." Kelly said before the gunnery sergeant slapped him on the back of his head.
"Lady Izumo, we must reach port and return to the fight." the ensign said before speaking to Mikasa in their native tongue as well as Izumo.
"I am to assume that Miss Friedrich is once again leading from the command center while our daredevil of our commander is leading from the front like the plonker he is with an insane plan once again?"
"Miss Friedrich is the one who knows all the details, we will escort you back if you are willing." Izumo said in a somewhat hostile tone.
"An escort would be very well welcomed, thank you." The ensign said with a tone of relief.
"Are you sure? Do you not have a mission to fulfill?"
"Protecting the admiralty is of higher importance." Izumo said with a sign of annoyance.
"Miss Izumo's right sir, it's our job to make sure you make it safe. V.A's combat orders." Kelly said once again oblivious to the sudden change in the atmosphere.
"Well I can not argue against his orders, at the very least we are not far from our destination." I said before we began to make our way towards the base at a brisk pace.
In the end, it seemed that once again I was left in the dark without any orders nor plans to follow. It was as if the moment that the he arrived, I never existed. Every plan, every ship and supply was out of my reach and delegated to some of those useful pets that he had roaming around our depots like a group of rats.
My disdain for the crimson axis was clear, yet I had to bare the facade of being in amicable terms with them and even having some bare my children because of that plonker of a grand admiral. Yet in their twisted ways, the crimson axis held some truth to what they believed as much as I would hate to admit it. Perhaps not everything that I have done to this point has been for naught, all I needed to do was to sit and wait patiently while the wolves hunted the sheep for me before I could reap the rewards.